12.15.2015

Robber calls store clerk 'terrorist,' shoots him in the face

Police are investigating the robbery as a hate crime.

What the hell is going on, America? This shit is out of control. In Michigan, a robber called an Indian convenience store clerk a "terrorist" and accused him of being in ISIS before shooting him the face. Police say they are investigating the robbery as a hate crime.

On Saturday night, an armed robber entered Bottlenecks Food and Drink Shop in Grand Rapids and demanded money from the 34-year-old store worker, who is of Indian descent. Then the robber led him to a back storage room where he put the barrel of a long gun into the worker's mouth.

Bottlenecks Food and Drink Shop in Grand Rapids, MI

The victim said the robber, who was wearing a mask, called him a "terrorist" and said he used to kill people like him in Iraq. The robber then suggested that the employee was part of ISIS.

That's when the store clerk, fearing for his life, decided to go down fighting. He grabbed the man's rifle and was shot in the cheek during the struggle.

"We're very proud of how he responded in light of this incident. This could've been much, much worse given the apparent intent of the suspect," Grand Rapids Police Sgt. Terry Dixon told MLive.com. "If the victim had not fought off the suspect, then this could've been a much more serious incident."

Much more serious? I don't know, getting robbed, accused of being a terrorist and nearly getting executed in the back of a convenience store -- just for having brown skin -- seems pretty fucking serious by itself.

The robber, who left with an undisclosed amount of money, is still at large.

Police say they are now investigating the Bottlenecks robbery as a possible hate crime.